The present invention relates to a liquid cleanser composition, and in particular, to a liquid cleanser useful as a general household cleaning composition.
Liquid general household cleansing compositions are advantageous because they can be applied directly to surfaces so that a relatively high concentration of cleanser is delivered directly to the soiled area. However, such cleansers suffer from a number of drawbacks which can limit their consumer acceptability. For example, some cleansers suffer from a lack of homogeneity, a lack of clarity, inadequate viscosity, excessive sudsing and poor rinsability.
A cleanser having an inadequate viscosity is not favored by consumers because the cleanser will run down vertical surfaces before the user is able to scrub the surface. In addition, when a cleanser lacks homogeneity, an uneven amount of the active ingredients will be dispensed from the container. Moreover, a cleanser lacking homogeneity is not preferred by consumers because it requires the consumer to shake or mix the components of the cleanser prior to using the cleanser.
Also, in view of consumer preferences, the cleanser may provide some sudsing or foaming. Generally, cleansers contain a variety of synthetic anionic, nonionic, amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactants for use as the primary surfactant ingredient, some of which provide foaming to various degrees. It is sometimes desired, however, to also provide a suds booster such as an amide.
Unexpectedly, it has been found that an amide, incorporated into the composition of the present invention and used as the primary surfactant, results in a cleanser that is comparable to a cleanser containing, as a primary surfactant, well known anionic and nonionic surfactants such as alkyl benzene sulfonates and alkoxylated hydrophobic materials, respectively.
Another drawback to some cleansers is that they do not adequately clean greasy, fatty, oily soils typically found in the household environment. It has been suggested, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,128, to incorporate a terpene material into the cleanser to provide improved cleaning performance on the greasy type soils as well as to control suds. One problem with the use of terpenes is that they have low water solubility and are difficult to rinse U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,128 discloses adding a polar solvent, having a solubility in water of less than 10%, to a terpene-containing cleanser to obtain a stable homogeneous fluent liquid.
Surprisingly, it has been found that a stable, rinsable cleanser that overcomes or minimizes the drawbacks of the prior art, without using a polar solvent of low water solubility, can be prepared by combining a terpene with a water-miscible solvent. In addition, the cleanser may also contain an amide surfactant and an ethoxylated alcohol that has a relatively low HLB, both of which are known to be poor rinsing. Unexpectedly, however, it has been found that an effective and rinsable cleanser can be prepared even though these individual ingredients are known to exhibit poor rinsing characteristics.
Moreover, the cleanser can incorporate an insoluble abrasive to improve hard surface cleaning while overcoming the drawbacks of prior art abrasive containing cleansers. The present cleanser overcomes known problems associated with the use of abrasives such as phase instability, including layering and settling of the abrasive, and poor rinsability.
The present invention thus provides liquid cleansers which are stable, fluid liquids which provide improved cleaning performance and can optionally contain an abrasive for improved hard surface cleaning performance.